A Casual Holiday Look!

7:00 PM

I love a casual but festive look for the holidays. The color red is de rigueur when it comes to holiday dressing. And denim always gives an outfit a more subdued feel. But instead of wearing jeans and a bright colored top, I chose to flip the look. I'm pairing a chambray blouse with bright red trousers.

Keeping in line with the oversized sleeve trend, I reached back to out-of-print Vogue 7604 from 2002. The oversized Bishop sleeve is nothing new. Styles like these are always cyclical. So when these trendy patterns are released, I like to collect them even if I don't want to sew them at the moment. You never know... It just may take 14 years to get around to it!

This is a pullover pussy-bow (collar extends into tie ends) blouse with a keyhole back. It has oversized Bishop sleeves and wide button cuffs.

My fabric is this gorgeous Italian Blue Topweight Viscose Denim from Mood Fabrics. I cut the size 14 and I lengthened the body by an inch. I also lengthened the top part of the sleeve so that it would fall right at the elbow. And also so that the I would have a lot of fullness on the bottom.

On the back bodice, the instructions suggest that you interface the area around the the keyhole opening. But I didn't want to do it that.

And I also have enough experience to know that for me this process works a lot better by interfacing the the facing and understitching.

I wanted to also make sure that the keyhole was obvious. So I again stepped away from the instructions and did my on thing.

I added an eye & hook.

I'm head-over-heels in love with this top! I've already worn it twice! It works so perfectly with my Simplicity 8058 pants.

Very pretty Ms. Erica! You always pick the nicest fabrics too! I really love this Chambray as much as the one you made the Hot Patterns Urban Gypsy top out of! I've never worked with a Chambray and would really like to some time soon. Beautiful outfit for the holidays!

Your blouse is glorious, but I would not have thought to label it casual. Indeed, I found myself giggling a little at that characterization. The style of the blouse is elegant, as is the way you wear it. Does the nature of the fabric render it casual? Maybe so, but I cannot imagine it looking any more elegant than it does, if you had made it in silk. This is not a criticism; just a question!